What is Infant and Toddler Daycare and Why Choose It?
Infants are children from birth to 11 months and toddlers are children between 1 and 3 years of age. You can imagine that their needs in childcare would vary greatly during this incredible stage of development. As a child grows, the type of care they need should develop with them. Wee Watch offers personalized care for infants and toddlers, ensuring each child’s developmental needs are met through age-appropriate activities, routines, and play. Our small caregiver-to-child ratio ensures individual attention and promotes a sense of security and comfort. With a focus on early learning, socialization, and emotional growth, we create a home-away-from-home atmosphere where children can thrive. We also prioritize safety, health, and communication with parents, fostering a strong partnership to support each child’s growth during the infant and toddler years.
Benefits of Choosing Toddler Daycare for Your Child’s Development
Choosing a daycare option that caters to the needs of toddlers specifically is important to the development of your child. There are many benefits to choosing a home-based setting like we offer at Wee Watch:
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- Toddlers transition easier from your home to a home-based setting for daycare, it’s a warm environment young children understand and can feel safe and secure
- Wee Watch offers an amazing learning curriculum that was designed by a team of education professionals, its goal is kindergarten readiness
- Licensed by the Ministry of Education, we follow strict safety and educational standards, promoting early learning through play, socialization, and developmentally appropriate activities
- Parents enjoy peace of mind knowing their child is in a nurturing, professional care environment that prioritizes both their well-being and growth. It’s a balanced approach to learning and care!
What to Look for in an Infant and Toddler Daycare Near Me
When looking for an infant and toddler daycare, there are many things to consider:
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- Environment: Are you looking for an institutional environment like a daycare centre or a home-based solution? Either way, for infant and toddler care, ensure that the program is licensed through the Ministry of Education. Licensed home-based care settings must meet strict health, safety, and educational standards.
- Number of children in care: Will your child thrive in a small group setting (e.g., no more than 6 children) or in a larger social setting (20+ children)? If you prefer a small caregiver-to-child ratio that ensures personalized attention and a nurturing environment, consider licensed home childcare like Wee Watch.
- Education: Look for a daycare that promotes early learning through age-appropriate activities, fosters socialization, and ensures open communication with parents. Positive reviews and a reputation for excellent care provide peace of mind that your child is in a trusted, caring environment.
Our toddler program offers a variety of engaging activities that promote growth and development. From arts and crafts to outdoor play, music, and story time, each activity is designed to support cognitive, social, and physical development. Our structured routine allows toddlers to explore, learn, and build essential skills in a safe and fun environment. Toddlers in the Wee Watch program engage in our Wee Learn and Together Wee Can Programming – an extensive proprietary educational curriculum offered only at Wee Watch!
Early on in our history, we understood that providing children a quality learning program would be important to parents, support Providers and most importantly inspire the full development of children. That is why every child from infancy to school age participate in our exclusive “Wee Learn” and “Together Wee Can” educational programs. To learn more, click here
For infants, having a secure relationship with a single caregiver builds a foundation of trust. Wee Watch Providers will give your infant the personal attention needed to develop a warm and affectionate relationship while still nurturing a safe environment to explore and learn.
Your Provider will work with your child using our Wee Beginners Kit. The kit contains a number of items like stacking cups, foam letters and large format crayons, that in combination with programming given to your Provider will encourage their early development. Our Providers engage in 10 hours of professional development training each year to ensure that they are continually learning new skills.
Children learn about their world by exploring their environment. Your Provider’s home is an environment where your child will thrive, providing ample indoor and outdoor activities and will learn through repetition and imitating others. Your child’s language skills will progress through songs and stories and encouragement.
For this age group, we have a series of Play & Learn educational booklets that will be given to each child quarterly. These books will give your child the opportunity to develop their literacy, numeracy, fine motor, science and social studies skills.
Through a mix of self-chosen and planned activities, your child will be encouraged to practice self-help skills, promoting independence. Our Play and Learn educational series supports their development, helping them master key concepts like number and color recognition, awareness of time and days of the week, and an understanding of their community—skills that lay a strong foundation for school readiness.
At Wee Watch, the safety and development of infants and toddlers is our number one priority. So much so, that our standards for safety are well above the government requirements. Our Providers complete a comprehensive interview and screening process as well as an in-depth training and home set-up program. Every adult in the home has been screened (medical/criminal). We have rigorous standards for home cleanliness and safety.
Our Home Visitors (RECE) go to every home each month for an unscheduled visit to ensure that all health and safety protocols are being met as well as to support Providers with educational programming and child development advice. The Ministry only requires visits once per quarter. Families love that Wee Watch goes well above this standard.
Wee Watch’s high standards include careful screening of Providers and
their families. They undergo a strict assessment and evaluation process and are required to:
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- Complete detailed interview and screening process
- Demonstrate the ability to provide children with a warm, safe, and stimulating environment through a comprehensive Wee Watch home assessment
- Provide a Physician’s health report and 4 personal/work related references
- Pass personal and criminal reference checks for themselves and their family members
- Complete a recognized Standard First Aid and CPR-C training course
- Providers must participate in 10 hours of Professional Development annually to continually upgrade their skills. Wee Watch provides them with access to workshops focused on nutrition, Child Development, Child Guidance, safety, and programming.
Costs of Infant and Toddler Daycare
All Wee Watch licensed agencies across Ontario are enrolled in the Canada-Wide Early Learning Child Care System (CWELCC) offering families lower rates since November 1st, 2022.
For 40 years, we’ve been providing the highest quality childcare in a safe, nurturing home environment. We provide the same quality service without compromise. As of January 1, 2025, infant and toddler rates will be capped at $22/day. For children above the age of 5 years, consult the rate sheet on the individual location page of the agency in your community.
Parental Involvement and Communication
At Wee Watch licensed home childcare, parent involvement and communication are key to providing the best care for your child. We believe in building strong partnerships with parents, keeping you informed through regular updates, reports, and open conversations about your child’s development. Your feedback is valued, and we encourage an ongoing dialogue to support your child’s growth and well-being. Each agency also has social media pages (Instagram and Facebook), where you can see the wonderful things happening in our homes!
Testimonials from Parents
“It was hard to find care for our son after he was diagnosed with autism, along with the anxiety of being placed in an unfamiliar place without the knowledge of knowing how he would react. Wee Watch proved to us Izaiah is in the best care with an agency that truly goes above and beyond for the children in Wee watch. And of course, our Provider has been a huge support and a massive part of Izaiah’s development this past year. With fun library days, outside play, social interaction, and exploring new activities – we are so happy and thankful to be a part of the Wee Watch family.” ~Karizma D.
“We have been very happy with our experience with WeeWatch over the last 3 years. Our little one loves her care provider and looks forward to her days there. We especially love the amount of outdoor time and one on one time our child gets being in a smaller daycare setting.” ~Nicole L.
Frequently Asked Questions About Infant and Toddler Daycare
How can I find licensed infant and toddler daycare near me?
You can verify by contacting the local childcare agency. You can find the local agency by looking here. Agencies, not the individual Providers are licensed by the Ministry of Education. A Provider that is licensed will have a Ministry of Education decal posted in her home visibly. All Wee Watch agencies are licensed. The Ministry of Education also has a childcare look-up tool online; however, this will not list individual Providers, only daycare agencies.
How many children can a home childcare Provider care for?
Providers working with a licensed agency can care for 6 children under 13, with no more than 3 children under the age of 2. A Provider’s own children over the age of 4 do not count in the ratios of allowable children. Providers not affiliated with a licensed agency can have no more than 5 children at a time in their care.
How do you ensure safety in toddler daycare?
When a Provider is affiliated with a licensed agency like us, you know that they have gone through a rigorous screening process that includes interviews, site visits, reference checks, criminal checks, medical checks (for them and any adult children living in the home). Once through our screening process, they attend a training program, have support to set-up their home and play areas and participate in ongoing training. They always have the support of a RECE and Agency Supervisor.
Our Home Visitors also do an unscheduled visit monthly to ensure that they are following all Wee Watch and Ministry of Education regulations.
Unlicensed Providers will not go through any of this screening and training. It would be the responsibility of the parent to screen the Provider fully and ensure they have proper insurance. There is no oversight or supervision of the Provider unless by the parent.
What does it mean to be licensed?
The Ministry of Education provides a license to operate a childcare business to childcare centers or Home Childcare Agencies. To receive the license, the Center or Agency must demonstrate that they have policies and procedures that adhere to all regulations set out in the Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA). Individual Providers cannot be licensed, but instead are contracted by home childcare Agencies like Wee Watch to provide care that adheres to all regulations. Agencies undergo regular monitoring by Ministry representatives and must be relicensed each year.
What are the average costs of infant and toddler daycare?
Childcare rates vary according to the location where childcare is being delivered. Visit our Location page to find the Wee Watch agency in your community. The rates for each Agency can be found on their page for children over the age of 5. For children under 5 years of age, under the CWELCC program, rates for children under the age of 5 are offered at $22/day as of January 1, 2025.
How is a Provider chosen for my child?
The first step is to complete an application for childcare on our site. The local Wee Watch Agency will review your application to understand the needs of you and your child specifically. They will contact you to discuss what your preferences are in a childcare Provider. The Agency will then set up interviews with available Providers in your area. Parents will visit the homes of the Providers to meet them and determine fit. We encourage you to bring your child along to these meetings. The choice of Provider is made by parents and Providers, not by the Agency.
How can I ensure that a licensed Wee Watch Provider offers the best care for my infant/toddler?
Wee Watch ensures that our Providers and their families are extensively pre-screened before a home opens. We also provide training and support to ensure that the provider can deliver the best care to the children in their homes. Wee Watch has their own proprietary educational curriculum that all children participate in and we exceed the Ministry requirement for visiting homes to ensure that all standards are being met. We have been delivering care for over 40 years in thousands of homes across Ontario – our foundation is the delivery of the highest quality home childcare.